This invention relates to a closure having a tamper-evident feature.
Closures having a tamper-evident portion for use in sealing containers are known. There are, for example, many types of closures such as that described in Aichinger U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,472 which feature a ring or collar depending from the skirt wall which is attached to the skirt wall of the closure of bridges or a weakened wall section. When the closure is applied to the container, the ring is adapted to engage the container in a manner that when the closure is removed, there is at least a partial separation of the ring from the skirt wall, and thus gives evidence that at least an attempt has been made to remove the closure.
Another type of tamper-evident closure is described in Henry U.S. Pat. No. 1,670,450. Henry describes a closure to be used with a container having a recessed ledge within the mouth of the container. A disc seats snugly upon the ledge to seal the container. To provide evidence of an unscrupulous removal of the disc, a hood having a tamper-evident means therewith is provided on a bead around the mouth of the bottle. A thin diaphragm is bonded to the upper surface of the sealing disc and the diaphragm is attached along its peripheral edge to the hood. To remove the sealing disc, the hood must first be removed and in so doing the thin diaphragm is ruptured giving evidence that at least an attempt has been made to remove the sealing disc.
Many of the tamper-evident closures known heretofore have limited application because of such things, for example, as the cost of making the closure or the need to provide a special container finish suitable for use with the closure.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a tamper-evident closure that is relatively simple, provides readily observable evidence of tampering with the closure and is adaptable for use with a wide range of containers.